NORTHEAST INDIA: India’s greatest asset, with severest challenges:

People across India know precious little about the states in Northeast India. The students from Arunachal Pradesh told me when I was teaching there that on their study tour to South India, many mistook them as Nepali or Chinese. Till few years back the slogan that Beijing is closer than Delhi was heard in Northeast. In a recent Amazon prime OTT series, there was a character from northeast who is mistaken as ‘Cheeni’ and exploited in every possible way since his childhood, till it reaches the doorsteps of being l

abelled as terrorist. This is not new or exceptional. Their presence is seen ornamentally in some singing contests, in some dance shows, in few sports. As if this vast land, integral part of Mother India from Vedic age, from Mahabharata, to Puranas and from Bhakti to Tantra literature has nothing substantial to contribute to the growth story of India. Has nothing to contribute to energy sector, to development to culture, to exports, crafts and arts, to polity economy and sociology, to religion, spirituality and philosophy, to education, international relations and Asian resurgence? After having played a significant role in ancient, medieval and modern history of India from Prehistoric age to freedom struggle of India and post-independence wars…still it is a region of mist, myths and misconceptions !! The Northeast region of India comprises eight states – Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim. North East India is connected to the Indian mainland by a small corridor –Silghuri Corridor (also known as Chicken Neck – with a narrow width of only 23 kilometres). The region is surrounded by other nations ie Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tibet, China, and so on. There is ‘Bangladesh to the west, Myanmar to the east and Bhutan and China to the north. The Northeast states of India remain geographically isolated from the rest of the country. They are also ethnically, culturally and linguistically distinct, predominantly speaking Sino-Tibetan and Austro-Asiatic languages (around 220 of them with a strong Christian presence. Although the states of Northeast India are small—physically, numerically and economically—they are increasingly gaining a significant strategic value.’ (https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/importance-indias-northeastern-states/) ‘The region shares an international border of 5,182 kilometres (3,220 mi) (about 99 percent of its total geographical boundary) with several neighbouring countries – 1,395 kilometres (867 mi) with Tibet Autonomous Region, China in the north, 1,640 kilometres (1,020 mi) with Myanmar in the east, 1,596 kilometres (992 mi) with Bangladesh in the south-west, 97 kilometres (60 mi) with Nepal in the west, and 455 kilometres (283 mi) with Bhutan in the north-west.[2] It comprises an area of 262,230 square kilometres (101,250 sq mi), almost 8 percent of that of India’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_India) Northeast India is a bridge to South East Asia and is a bridgehead between India and the vibrant economies of Southeast Asia, including southern China. Economic Significance of Northeast is endowed with huge natural resource (oil, gas, coal, hydro, fertile land, etc) which can be harnessed for nation development. (www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS) The region has been facing problems of insurgency for almost 5 decades. Although, now things are looking bit more peaceful in recent years. (Vision IAS) Northeast is in news many times and most of the times it is for wrong reasons and worry some issues and entanglements. The Assam government recently has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the state for six more months with effect from August 28, 2020. The state was again declared a "disturbed area" on account of recent insurgent attacks on security forces and due to recovery of illegal arms and ammunition from different areas of Assam. After every six months this law has to be withdrawn or extended and it has been extended several times in last few decades. However, many NGOs, and activists have been opposing this extension and say the solutions are not in extending such laws but in understanding the local issues and having a constructive way to dialogue and effort to solve them or at least, a genuine displayed intention to solve them. Some are even demanding the withdrawal of the ‘AFSPA 1958’ termed ‘draconian law’ by some of the social groups. There was also a news recently that the insurgents from other States are considering Arunachal Pradesh as a safe haven for their hideouts, extortion, and fresh recruitment operations. Addressing the 68th plenary session of North Eastern Council (NEC) at Guwahati which is chaired by Home minister Amit Shah, he said, “There is an intense drive by various insurgent groups to pick local youth from Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts for their recruitment.” Last year the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh had a press meet and mentioned the heinous killing of Late Tirong Aboh, elected MLA and 10 others in Tirap District. The Governor requested for cooperation from Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to provide assistance to our State and bolster our counter insurgency operations, by providing men, material, and technological help. The Governor requested for cooperation from Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to provide assistance to our State and bolster our counter insurgency operations, by providing training to police. The Governor apprised the Council that the biggest problem which the State of Arunachal Pradesh faces now is that of the lack of robust Land, Air, Internet and Mobile Network. (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/insurgents-from-other-states-are-considering-arunachal-pradesh-as-a-safe-haven-for-their-hideouts-governor/articleshow/71036802.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst) (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Insurgency-in-Northeast-India) In fact there is an urgent need at every level of governance to really give lot more attention to the northeast. Infrastructure and basic amenities, water supply, housing, roads, railway network, buses, launch services must be on par with many other places in India. Natural resources and energies are to be much more effectively harnessed. The potential of northeast to be energy capital of India with her rich possibilities in solar, water, wind energy generation is hardly tapped so far. The stunning beauty of her locations and flora fauna is not even seen as tourism heaven. However, here is the delicate issue in this problem. It must be noted that many times such development has been synonymous with the eurocentricism, to be taking the notorious white man’s burden. Then in turn destroying beautiful fabric and organic societies in such areas. This has happened in all pars of the world and Northeast was not exception to it. In such overenthusiastic but insensitive implants of modern world are devastating for individuals, families and communities to say the least. There traditional customs, rituals and culture is ridiculed and often are bulldozed mercilessly under the steam rollers of western civilization. Such loss of culture results in loss of identity and isolation, the resultant self negation leads to rootlessness, often leading to disturbed and results in division in minds and in societies. Insurgency and agitations are just surface phenomena in such deep rooted division in consciousness. In fact such ‘development machinery’ often comes to remote tribal and neglected areas like Northeast and results in ‘Future Shock’ to use the term used so well by Alvin Toffler. That was the fear and thereby basis of isolation policy which Verrier Elwin so eloquently promoted and which became dream policy for NEFA after independence. However, that was other unfortunate extreme: meaning, if destruction and bulldozing local culture is one extreme, the isolation and neglect was no way better. We saw the blunder in this policy after 1962 Chinese aggression and war and then the correction started though slowly. So what we need today is ‘Development through culture’ not development versus culture. Development problem has to be seen in the light of Indian culture and her inseparable links with local cultures, indigenous faiths, ethnic diversity, biodiversity and such unique but eco friendly things of this vast and unique area. Cultural renaissance of the area will give us an elevation to be a dominant soft power in South east Asia plus Northeast Asia and that is exactly what this area was throughout the historic ages. Development of region with most modern means and yet deeper and strengthened bonds of rich art, craft and culture restoring lost identity is the mantra for the Northeast India. We will attempt to detail and decode it as we go ahead in this mission of Looking East and especially mission of Looking Northeast which the present government has wonderfully intensified into the policy of Acting East. ***